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Jared Goff Got Emotional Talking About What Dan Campbell Means to Him

Tim Capurso

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff talks to head coach Dan Campbell before a play against Green Bay Packers during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff talks to head coach Dan Campbell before a play against Green Bay Packers during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Aside from Detroit Lions fans, it's hard to find a bigger supporter of the team's quarterback Jared Goff than its own coach, Dan Campbell. In fact, just a week ago, Campbell was challenging anyone who would listen to find a signal-caller in the NFL who is playing better than Goff at the moment.

In short, it's clear he is both Goff's staunchest defender and biggest cheerleader—and it's not lost on the veteran passer.

Following the Lions' 31-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, Goff joined NBC's Sunday Night Football postgame crew for an interview. As Lions fans chanted his name in the background, Goff was asked how his partnership with Campbell has impacted his life. The Lions QB became emotional as he tried to find the words to describe what his coach means to him.

"He's been incredible ... He's been incredible. He's breathed life into me from the moment I got here," Goff said. "It's been a lot of fun to win with him and to have a guy like that believe not only in me but believe in the whole team. At every point in this journey in the last four years, he's believed in us.

"It's been fun to play for him."

Goff, after leading the Los Angeles Rams to an NFC title in the 2018 season, was dealt to the Lions in exchange for longtime Detroit QB Matthew Stafford. Those who already had doubts about Goff's ability to lead a team intensified their opinions, especially after the club went 3-13-1 in the first year of the Goff-Campbell partnership, a year in which Stafford also won a Super Bowl with Los Angeles. But a winning season in 2022, as well as a Pro Bowl campaign for Goff, followed by a run to the NFC Championship Game in '23, and then a 15-2 season that has Detroit poised for a run to the Super Bowl in '24 has certainly changed the outlook on Goff—and Campbell.

Goff in April called his trade from the Rams to the Lions "the greatest thing that ever happened to me." When you hear him talk about Campbell's impact, it's easy to see why.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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